The Hindu : National : `DMK will decide within weeks'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 19, 2004

National

National

`DMK will decide within weeks'

By J. Venkatesan

NEW DELHI, MAY 18. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president, M. Karunanidhi, said today that his party was firm on its stand not to participate in a Congress-led government at the Centre at present. The party would take a decision "after watching how the new government shapes up."

Asked why the party was not joining the government, he said: "There are several reasons. I can't disclose them."

Talking to reporters, Mr. Karunanidhi said there was no timeframe for taking a decision. "It can be certain weeks. It can be 10 days. It can be 50 days also." The party's working committee had passed a resolution not to participate in the government and had authorised him to take a decision.

After analysing the situation, he would discuss the issue with senior leaders before taking a decision.

Mr. Karunanidhi said the CPI (M) general secretary, Harkishan Singh Surjeet, the senior Congress leader, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and the former Prime Minister, V.P. Singh, had impressed upon him to join the government to provide stability. "We will take a decision within weeks."

Mr. Karunanidhi said the issue of the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin had been debated in the recent elections and rejected conclusively by the people. The Bharatiya Janata Party and the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, which fought the elections together, had launched a "mean campaign" against Ms. Gandhi.

He said that besides the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, his party would insist on early resolution of the Cauvery water dispute, abolition of CENVAT, declaration of Tamil as a classical language and increased employment opportunities in Tamil Nadu.

He regretted that the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had not called a meeting of the Cauvery River Authority to solve the dispute and wanted the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal to give the final verdict quickly.

On the concessions announced today by the Jayalalithaa Government, including the grant of free power to farmers, he said he considered it "the 41st victory for his party." (The DMK and its allies had won 40 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry in the general elections).

He described the announcement as "mere gimmicks" aimed at winning the next Assembly elections.

These concessions were nothing new, Mr. Karunanidhi said. The AIADMK Government had withdrawn the welfare measures introduced by his erstwhile Government and had brought them back after the electoral debacle.

"The people would not be deceived by these stunts." The Government should settle all the pending demands of the government employees amicably, he said.

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